Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric

Zahn, Manuel; Müller, Aaron Merlin; Kelley, Kyle P.; Neumayer, Sabine; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Kézsmarki, István; Fiebig, Manfred; Lottermoser, Thomas; Marimon, Neus Domingo; Meier, Dennis; Schultheiß, Jan

doi:10.1038/s41467-025-57062-8

Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric

Journal Article · Wed Feb 19 00:00:00 EST 2025 · Nature Communications

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57062-8· OSTI ID:2586828

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Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway); Univ. of Augsburg (Germany)
Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zurich (Switzerland)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS)
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Univ. of Augsburg (Germany)
Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway)
Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway); Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch (New Zealand)

Reversible ferroelectric domain wall movements beyond the 10 nm range associated with Rayleigh behavior are usually restricted to specific defect-engineered systems. Here, we demonstrate that such long-range movements naturally occur in the improper ferroelectric ErMnO₃ during electric-field-cycling. We study the electric-field-driven motion of domain walls, showing that they readily return to their initial position after having traveled distances exceeding 250 nm. By applying switching spectroscopy band-excitation piezoresponse force microscopy, we track the domain wall movement with nanometric spatial precision and analyze the local switching behavior. Phase field simulations show that the reversible long-range motion is intrinsic to the hexagonal manganites, linking it to their improper ferroelectricity and topologically protected structural vortex lines, which serve as anchor point for the ferroelectric domain walls. Our results give new insight into the local dynamics of domain walls in improper ferroelectrics and demonstrate the possibility to reversibly displace domain walls over much larger distances than commonly expected for ferroelectric systems in their pristine state, ensuring predictable device behavior for applications such as tunable capacitors or sensors.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2586828

Journal Information:: Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 16; ISSN 2041-1723

Publisher:: Springer Science and Business Media LLCCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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